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Cable vs DSL???
Freejack
Jake the Not-so-Wise
in Zocalo v2.0
I know, the title makes me sound like such a noob, but since I'm doing a lot with school, it looks like I will have to finally break down and get some decent internet service at home.
Here's what I'd like to do:
Set up a wireless network at home so that I can use my work laptop anywhere in the house.
Use a wireless network card with each of the two PCs to connect them to the net.
The choices in my area:
SBC DSL: Looks to be cheaper than cable, but I have not confirmed that it is available in my neighbourhood. Also appears that to run more than one computer, you need to purchase the package with static IPs, which is more expensive than their base package. Finally, I’ve been told that DSL tends to be slower than cable.
Charter Cable: A bit more expensive than DSL, but I’ve heard its faster. Charter’s website indicates you can only have one PC at a time on, but I have also scene wireless cable routers available, so I’m not sure which is true.
No matter which I choice, I’ve been told to run a router for the firewall protection it provides.
Anyone have any suggestions or advice?
Jake
Here's what I'd like to do:
Set up a wireless network at home so that I can use my work laptop anywhere in the house.
Use a wireless network card with each of the two PCs to connect them to the net.
The choices in my area:
SBC DSL: Looks to be cheaper than cable, but I have not confirmed that it is available in my neighbourhood. Also appears that to run more than one computer, you need to purchase the package with static IPs, which is more expensive than their base package. Finally, I’ve been told that DSL tends to be slower than cable.
Charter Cable: A bit more expensive than DSL, but I’ve heard its faster. Charter’s website indicates you can only have one PC at a time on, but I have also scene wireless cable routers available, so I’m not sure which is true.
No matter which I choice, I’ve been told to run a router for the firewall protection it provides.
Anyone have any suggestions or advice?
Jake
Comments
[url]http://www.newegg.com/app/SearchProductResult.asp?Submit=Go&DEPA=0[/url]
Get Charter Pipeline.
There is no comparison in STL. Charter ownz all here.
I have had it for 4 1/2 years now. Very few complaints and their customer service is not bad considering that its such a large company. Its more expensive but its worth it. Just get a good router and you can connect with as many machines as you wish. Just firewall it good.
JMHO
Either way, you can get a wireless router for about $60 which will let you have more tham one PC on the connection. Did it with the old DSL we got rid of when cable finally came here, doing it with the cable now.
Jake
[B]Comcast for the last 3 years. I love my 3+Mbps download speeds. It's gone down twice in that time, so reliability is good, too.
Either way, you can get a wireless router for about $60 which will let you have more tham one PC on the connection. Did it with the old DSL we got rid of when cable finally came here, doing it with the cable now. [/B][/QUOTE]
I've had DSL for almost 7 years, the only time its been offline for any signifigant amount of time, is when some nutters decided it would be a good idea to fly a few airplanes into the buildings that contained my ISP's DSL equipment, and then when said buildings fell onto my telco's Central office...
I'm currently getting 3 megabits, and am very happy with it.
You also need to be careful with some cable (and a few DSL) providers, as they actively block what you can and can't do, i know my local Cable Company SAYS only one computer is allowed, thats easy to get around, what's not quite as easy is the fact that they block specific server ports to prevent you from running servers at home. Kinda cheezy if you ask me but its their policy, so i won't go with cable (plus i HATE my local cable company, they suck monkey balls)
Either way you go, high speed is good (not quite as good as Mila's boobies but, oh wait, thats a different thread, nevermind)
[B](plus i HATE my local cable company, they suck monkey balls)
Either way you go, high speed is good (not quite as good as Mila's boobies but, oh wait, thats a different thread, nevermind) [/B][/QUOTE]
Eh, that's the main reason I'm even looking at DSL, I'm not a big fan of Charter.
MMM...Mila's boobs...*drool*
Jake
Think about like this, how often is your cable out? If its anything like the cable companies Ive had, at least once a month if not more. Even if its only for 5 minutes at 8 in the morning, its out. When your cable goes out, your cable modem goes out for longer. Usually 5-10 minutes after they have re-established a connection.
I can count on one hand how many times my DSL service has gone out over the last 4 years (even though Ive moved and had 3 different providers).
Once. Someone dug into the lines outside my apartment building.
If you want a stable connection, go DSL. DSL speeds are getting faster all the time too, I just signed up for Sprints new 3mb/s line, and it rocks.
Ive had SBC before too, they have good service reps, and good service. Id go DSL.
The question I have with DSL, SBC offers Static and Dynamic IP packages They're claim is that if you want to opporate more than one computer you need static IPs, which is signifigantly more expensive than dynamic.
Web site: [url]http://www01.sbc.com/DSL_new/content_new/1,,18,00.html?pl_code=MSBC245C8952P192186B0S0[/url]
Jake
Case and point: Memorial Day 2002, Cable went down and Charter sent a guy to my house and he replaced EVERY single piece of coax inside and outside of my house within 3 hours of the call to Customer Service, I have nothing but good things to say about them.
I have attempted to install DSL at least 10 times in the past for friends and coworkers, of those 10, 2 are still using it, the others went to cable cause their phone lines were junk.
As for the cable modem, you can buy one from charter for like 75 bucks or lease one for $5/month. I lease mine because I just dont want the hassle of
having to buy or return a defective modem to bestbuy when I can call Charter and they will send someone to my house with the replacement.
[B]Case and point: Memorial Day 2002, Cable went down and Charter sent a guy to my house and he replaced EVERY single piece of coax inside and outside of my house within 3 hours of the call to Customer Service, I have nothing but good things to say about them.[/B][/QUOTE]
I got my DSL on new year's day. They actually put it in on new year's day, after they were delayed a couple of days before. I want it then, so I called up, and they did it. :)
Verify your DSL availablility by going to
[url]http://www.dslreports.com[/url]
Use the prequalifying tool. That will give the distace from the local switching station and what options you have with that distance.
You'll have to have both the DSL/cable modem and the router to run more than one computer well. Needing a static IP is a line of bull, though. I've been just fine with a dynamic IP for years and I have 5 computers constantly on, with 3 others when my kids have their rooms clean enough. That does not count guests who come by and have my WEP password.
[B]I'm leaning that way, its cheaper and I like SBC better. but I'll need to check and see if its available in my neighborhood.
The question I have with DSL, SBC offers Static and Dynamic IP packages They're claim is that if you want to opporate more than one computer you need static IPs, which is signifigantly more expensive than dynamic.
Web site: [url]http://www01.sbc.com/DSL_new/content_new/1,,18,00.html?pl_code=MSBC245C8952P192186B0S0[/url]
Jake [/B][/QUOTE]
How much is signifigantly? i pay $5/month for my Static IP with my DSL company
With DSL that bandwith is always reserved only for you.
And if you'll use it for just normal surfing you don't need multiple IPs, you need router/NAPT which also protects your LAN from attacks coming from internet.
just get a good router, and set it up between the dsl modem and your computer, the router should even come with instructions and disk to help you set it up. Just remember that you have to set up the dsl modem FIRST, then plug the router in and follow the routers instructions.
and hey, if you have any questions, Ive just done this for my house, my neghbors house, and some other friends so hop on the boards and give a hollar.
[B]well the whole static IP required to have multiple computers line is the bullshit they sell to people that dont know better. Like my parents (but thats another stroy, I had to fix there damn internet last time i was home). anyway...
just get a good router, and set it up between the dsl modem and your computer, the router should even come with instructions and disk to help you set it up. Just remember that you have to set up the dsl modem FIRST, then plug the router in and follow the routers instructions.
and hey, if you have any questions, Ive just done this for my house, my neghbors house, and some other friends so hop on the boards and give a hollar. [/B][/QUOTE]
And i do it for a living, so he's definately got the resources here for help if he needs it, Although it really is simpler than most people expect. and they tend to be able to do most of it themselves.
[B]well the whole static IP required to have multiple computers line is the bullshit they sell to people that dont know better. Like my parents (but thats another stroy, I had to fix there damn internet last time i was home). anyway...
just get a good router, and set it up between the dsl modem and your computer, the router should even come with instructions and disk to help you set it up. Just remember that you have to set up the dsl modem FIRST, then plug the router in and follow the routers instructions.
and hey, if you have any questions, Ive just done this for my house, my neghbors house, and some other friends so hop on the boards and give a hollar. [/B][/QUOTE]
Yeah, for the router I'd definitely get a Linksys [b]wired[/b] router. Wireless, IMO, is a complete waste of money. Its two to three times as expensive for each NIC ($50 - $60) vs. maybe $20 at the most for a DAMN good ethernet NIC. Wired is MUCH faster, and you don't have to deal with the idea behind a faraday cage near as much as you would with wireless. For wireless, the more walls the signal has to penetrate, the more it drops. Depending out the router, two or three walls and you're SOL. They have been getting alot better at signal penetration, but that gets to be a little bit more expensive. Sure, you could do the whole cantenna thing, but if I'm going to spend that kind of cash on something, it damned well better work right without me having to modify it. As far as security goes, wired is [b]infinitely[/b] more secure. With wireless, you have to work a bit harder to lock it down. You could do things like turning off SSID, and turning on WPA (what WEP [b]should[/b] have been from the beginning), but even then I could still pick up a network just driving by your house. With enough time, I could crack your router's password and then I'd have free reign of every computer online. Yes, given enough time I could do the same thing to a wired network. However, that would take a little more time, depending on the location. Furthermore, you'd have a more likelyhood of being able to do something about it since I would be locked to a physical location during this, thus infinitely more traceable.
However, what you decide is up to you. Whichever one you get, make sure it offers a built-in firewall. (and for goodness sakes, keep up to date on the firmware) Alot of them have built-in firewalls now & days, but it never hurts to make sure.
One last thing, before you delve to deeply into this, please do research on how to setup your network, how to do port forwarding (if you decide to setup a server of some kind...ie: gaming, http, ftp, etc) so you'll know what to do when you set everything up. I know this is alot of information to take in, but it really isn't all that hard to do. Most of it is just plugging cables in and setting preferences in the router itself.
sometimes wired is not always viable. especially if you want freedom to move around a laptop.
I personally have a wired/wireless setup in my house. But I had the benefit of standing around while they built my house to run the network cable before drywall went up.
As for wireless security though, Im curious how you plan to hack my wireless internet when it doesnt broadcast an ssid? I tried for quite a while to use my laptop to break in before I set it up. I couldnt even find the damn thing, much less hack into it. If it doesnt broadcast an id, you cant see it.
[B]As for wireless security though, Im curious how you plan to hack my wireless internet when it doesnt broadcast an ssid? I tried for quite a while to use my laptop to break in before I set it up. I couldnt even find the damn thing, much less hack into it. If it doesnt broadcast an id, you cant see it. [/B][/QUOTE]
Doesn't mean that it won't broadcast/radiate anything.
[B]just get a good router, and set it up between the dsl modem and your computer, the router should even come with instructions and disk to help you set it up. Just remember that you have to set up the dsl modem FIRST, then plug the router in and follow the routers instructions.[/B][/QUOTE]
And NAT (/dynamic NAPT) also protects your LAN very effectively.
All traffic from WAN will be stopped unless it's response to request from LAN.
You forget DSL/cable modem has to be in bridged mode.;)
[B]As for wireless security though, Im curious how you plan to hack my wireless internet when it doesnt broadcast an ssid? I tried for quite a while to use my laptop to break in before I set it up. I couldnt even find the damn thing, much less hack into it. If it doesnt broadcast an id, you cant see it. [/B][/QUOTE]
Oh how wrong you are. I suggest you look up a little program called AirSnort. ;)
[B]its got 128 bit security string built in to it.[/B][/QUOTE]
I do hope you're not talking about WEP. :D
I'm quite looking forward to the new wifi security thing. It's far better than WPA (and naturally, WEP - broadcasting on a public band is more secure than WEP). It has all the security built in at just above the physical layer.
Actually no one lives close enough to get into my wireless network.
[B]I do hope you're not talking about WEP. :D
I'm quite looking forward to the new wifi security thing. It's far better than WPA (and naturally, WEP - broadcasting on a public band is more secure than WEP). It has all the security built in at just above the physical layer. [/B][/QUOTE]
Do you mean TKIP (802.11i) cause its already been broken according to an article i read a couple weeks ago (i don't remember the source, but it was reputable)
lol
the only security i use, is mac filtering, so unless somoene knows my card's mac address to spoof it, they can't connect, and if they want to try that hard, go for it, i could care less. I only use wireless for my laptop and my TiVo (yes, my TiVo has a wirless NIC, lol).
By the way, sniffing a MAC address is as easy as sniffing a WEP key, apparently.
[B]Well great, so much for that one. :)
By the way, sniffing a MAC address is as easy as sniffing a WEP key, apparently. [/B][/QUOTE]
Let em sniff, #1, my town is so small, that i doubt anyone would try, #2, my range is so frelling limited that they'd have to be standing outside my door, and #3, Umm i can't think of a #3 right now
Someone was trying to steal WiFi bandwidth from my boss tho, he caught them outside his house, the police promptly came and arressted him, aparently its covered under the same laws that prevent people from just cutting into your phone wires or cable line. Nifty.
As far as server goes, I really have no plans for setting anything up, since neither of my desktops could handle it, and the only computer I have that could is a laptop, which makes a less than ideal server when its with me most of the time.
There are a couple reasons I was interested in wireless:
A) My main computer is a laptop and a wireless network would allow me to take advantage of its portibility
B) Most of the basement is finished so it would take an inordinate amount of time to wire it properly. Time which I don't really have since I'm back in school.
Jake
[B]well forgive me, but I gave up my hacker skills long ago. The fact still remains that my wireless router doesnt broadcast an ssid, and its got 128 bit security string built in to it.[/b][/quote]
Which is completely irrelevant. I don't need an SSID to track down a network and break into it. You see, there are these things called signal strength meters. All I have to do is run a wireless adapter in [b]passive mode[/b] and track you down, and crack your WEP key. It'd only take a few hours at the most. WEP is rather pathetic seeing as it has a rather large flaw which damn near everyone knows how to exploit.
[quote][b]So unless someone was extreemly desparate and had a lot of time on their hands they wouldt be able to hack into my wireless network, especially since the guy across the street (i think) has his open for all to see. [/B][/QUOTE]
Again, it'd only take a few hours at the most, depending on how fast the computer is when bruteforcing the WEP key. My point is, if I want in, I'm getting in. The very fact that my target is wireless makes things alot easier for me.
As I said earlier, make sure the router has WPA, which is what WEP [b]should[/b] have been. WPA is much harder to crack.
And PLEASE be smart enough to change the ID for your router to something other than "Linksys" or whatever its called by default. Thats just [b]screams[/b] come hack me because I don't know what I'm doing. Also, change the password for the router to something other than the default. By default, its "admin" on many routers. Again, damn near everyone knows this, which would give them free reign of your network no matter how much protection you had up.
[b]edit:[/b] Before this goes any further, please realize that this is not a pissing contest. I realize that Freejack has already made his choice, I'm just pointing out that there are potential problems that he needs to be aware of. This is strictly for informative purposes only. I don't actually go out and hack into people's home networks, even though I have the know how to do so.
Jake